Airi's Log 1: Returning
September 9r At first there was nothing. But then faintly, in the distance, a spark. A glimmer of a memory long past. This void had come to feel like home, but for the first time in — how long had it been..? — Airi came to realize the truth; it seems death was much more peaceful than she had once imagined. Out of the darkness, hazy memories of a previous life gently bubbled to the surface of her mind, subtly eluding her. The faint silhouette of a face with a warm smile. The smell of freshly picked herbs touched with morning dew. An anguished battle cry. A sear of pain... As these images slowly became clearer, a gentle tug on her consciousness pulled Airi upward out of the haze, and the night sky slowly faded into view. The crisp, cool air felt overwhelmingly real. As she looked up into the stars, Airi felt as though she were on the precipice of remembering something desperately important, if only she could... just... But before she could grasp onto the thought, searing pain took hold of her once again. As she fell to the earth, Airi could only look up at her assailant; a dark figure with sinister, glowing eyes. Airi laid helplessly in the dirt, clutching her wound and cowering in pain as the sounds of battle raged nearby. Why ... why would she be brought back from the void of death only to be struck down again instantly? The comfortable darkness loomed over her, and she wondered if she should just allow it to envelop her once again. But then, she heard it — a familiar battle cry. It couldn’t be..? The battle subsided, and those that had also returned from death that night shuffled amongst themselves, trying to make sense of it all. Gentle healing hands nursed Airi back to her feet. “Thank you...” she mustered, slowly lifting her eyes to take in the unlikely band of allies. Her attention was drawn to a bit of commotion at the edge of the group; a tall, bearded man wearing leather armor and a massive longsword was surrounded by curious and suspicious onlookers. “Rendall!” Airi suddenly cried out. Rendall’s head snapped up immediately. His eyes locked onto hers, and she was certain he remembered her, too. He reached out to her as she stumbled towards him, falling into a desperate embrace. A familiar embrace. ~ *~ * ~ * ~ Airi followed behind the band of newly returned as they slashed their way through the remaining enemies, wondering how she could possibly help in her weakened state. She kept Rendall in her sights, as he was the only shred of familiarity she had in this world … but even her memory of him was fuzzy. She knew they had been travelling companions together. Adventuring companions? That seemed almost impossible though, as the thought of battle terrified her to the core. After walking for some time, the warm light of a tavern grew near. It was bustling, and full of people from various cultures and walks of life that Airi had only previously read about in books. The atmosphere was overwhelming, and looming over everything was the fear of it all ending again in an instant. Airi kept close behind Rendall, nervously checking over her shoulder. She jumped as a hand reached toward her, pointing at something atop her head. “Fae..?” an inquisitive voice asked. The creature appeared to be a Fae themselves, part dragon and fully curious. “I’m-m-m not Fae ...” Airi stammered, and she realized some of the details from her previous life had begun to trickle back into her mind. “I’m human. I’m … from Ad Decimum.” The dragon fae looked at her with a puzzled expression, then seemed to lose interest and flitted away. Airi took a breath and reached up to touch the single flower that was sprouting from her head. She remembered the experimental potion she had created as a budding young alchemist; it had turned her hair pink as she had hoped, but the matching flower was an unintended side effect. In her previous life she had been self-conscious about the flower and often hid it under a hat to avoid attention. But now, it felt like a familiar piece of herself. She was grateful for it. ~ *~ * ~ * ~ The daytime in Port Frey didn’t seem so bad. As morning rose over the town, Airi found herself falling into old habits from her past life. Picking herbs felt like a bit of normalcy in a world upturned and unfamiliar, and she felt safe with Rendall nearby watching over her. Though even in the calm of morning, there would be an occasional outburst of violence; a band of stitchers for example, terrifying monsters that seemed to be the result of a science experiment gone horribly wrong. Rendall would valiantly jump into the fight while Airi cowered by the nearest refuge, fumbling at her potion bottles and praying for it to be over. Once the enemies lay still on the ground, she would inch towards the brave warriors and offer her healing draughts; the very least she could do. Even though the adventurers appeared grateful for the support, she couldn’t help but feel powerless. The afternoon was spent in the tavern, where Rendall was immediately swept up by his fellow countrymen from Cestral. Airi kept her nose tight in her notebook, desperately trying to write down everything new she had encountered so she wouldn’t forget it all again. The joyous melodies of the Cestrals singing their drinking songs echoed over her head as she studied, filling her with juxtaposed feelings of warmth and loneliness. She was glad for Rendall that he seemed to have found a place in this new world. But where was hers…? As soon as night fell, the fear encompassed her again. She envied Rendall, who appeared comfortable and in a deep sleep, exhausted from a day of fighting stitchers and imps. She tried to concentrate on his steady breathing to distract from the screams of battle that could be heard in the far distance ... she desperately wanted to help, even felt compelled to help, but how could she? Fear gripped her too tightly for her to join any fight, and the potions she had proffered seemed practically watered down compared to what she saw the other returned could create. She sat awake, quivering, until everything fell silent outside. Had The Returned prevailed? Or had she sat idly by, unable to provide aid at their most dire hour? Rendall woke to her quiet whimpers. He began to stir, and before he could even sit up Airi spat out to him “WHY? Why have I been brought back here?” She broke down into near unintelligible sobs. “What could I possibly offer this world...” Rendall’s face turned from grave concern to a warm smile. “I know why. And I think I know how to help you remember, too.” In the quiet of night, Rendall led Airi by the hand to an open clearing, and silently gestured for her to look up to the expanse of stars above. Instantly, a flood of memories returned to her. Her family’s humble farm on the outskirts of Ad Decimum. Sitting under the stars as her mother made the divining prophecy that she would become a great adventurer and help many one day. Venturing out to prove her magical abilities and make her family proud. She remembered that In her past life she had only been able to help save one person, and that person was the man standing before her now. Rendall’s battle cry was her final memory -- the same as her first memory returning to this new life. She couldn’t let it end that way again. In that moment Airi knew she had to become wiser. Become stronger. Overcome her fears and help others. She would study hard, seek mentorship and find her place in this world. The two remained in the field, and tears streamed down Airi’s face as they silently stood hand in hand. No more words needed to be said.